It was the first day back after summer break and the William McKinley High School parking lot was gradually filling up. The first cars to turn in where those of the cheerleaders who were eager to be there for the first practice so Coach Sue wouldn't cut them in the new academic year. Then came the faculty members, most of whom looked as if they would rather be anywhere than the school campus and finally came the rest of the student body who brought with them the chatter and laughter of being reunited after three months of freedom.
Quinn Fabray's car was among the last to pull in and, as it did, those milling around in the parking lot automatically turned to look at Quinn. Everyone had heard bits and pieces about what had occurred over the summer with Quinn but no-one knew the whole story and the students and William McKinley High School were always desperate to find out more, especially when it came to Quinn Fabray.
After she had found a parking space, Quinn looked in the interior mirror and tried to focus herself. Just get through today and then everything will be fine, she told herself though she didn't believe it for a second. Even her thoughts felt shaky and she was terrified about her voice shaking when she had to speak to someone. She combed through her blonde hair with her fingers one last time and stepped out of the car. As she did, the breeze hit her bare arms instantly causing her to shiver. She had forgotten to bring a jacket with her today; she was so used to wearing her Cheerios jacket every day that she hadn't thought to bring a substitute with her. The year – Quinn's senior year – she was not sporting the iconic Cheerios uniform; she was looking for a fresh start free from Coach Sue and the pressures of being at the top of the social pyramid. She just hoped everyone would leave her alone and let her be.
Quinn began her walk to her first class in the hopes she would not meet anyone on the way. She had no such luck, however, as just five steps down the corridor she was met with the face of Noah Puckerman. "Quinn, hey," he said as he fell into step with her.
"Hi," she replied. Her hand went up to touch her throat in surprise; her voice sounded normal. It sounded almost happy. This caused a smile to play at the edges of her mouth, maybe today wouldn't be so hard after all. She looked at Puck and noticed he was watching her with a smile on his face.
"You look good, Quinn. Are you good?" Quinn let the smile linger on her mouth a little longer. Puck understood what she was going through. She could feel his concern and acceptance without him having to do anything and this made her feel so much better already. She looked at his face and wondered what was going through his head after everything that had happened. She wondered if he woke up every night after having the same dream over and over again. She wondered if he panicked every time he had to walk past the place where it all happened or if he broke down every time he had to see the face of the other person.
Quinn quickly snapped out of the thoughts and memories that were beginning to overwhelm her mind like they did day after day. She focused back on Puck's face and answered him. "I'm fine." She didn't mean to say it in such a monotone voice but she was afraid she was going to blurt out everything she had been thinking.
"That's good. You know you can talk to me if you want, right?"
"Thanks, Puck," she replied, feeling the warm glow of the smile lingering at her lips again.
"Anything for my baby momma," he joked as he began to walk away to his locker. "See you later, Q!" he called to her, walking backwards so he could give her one last smile.
Quinn was feeling relieved. She was five minutes into her day and things were going fine. Better than fine, things were going great. Maybe she wasn't as affected by everything as she thought she was. She let that thought murmur away at the back of her mind but wouldn't let it get any more prominent; she didn't want to get overconfident for it to backfire in her face. Feeling a little more confident than she had before her encounter with Puck, Quinn walked into her English class to be greeted by an empty class. She sighed a small sigh of relief at the comfort of being able to choose the seat in the very back as to be as invisible as possible. There was a time when Quinn could walk into class as late as she liked and still be guaranteed any seat she wanted simply by using her death glare but that Quinn was no more.
Once Quinn was seated, she heard the chatter of a few girls coming towards the classroom door. "Oh my God, I heard that she's, like, never going to wake up," one of them said, "how crazy is th-" They all stopped in their tracks when they saw Quinn sat in the room and the girl stopped talking instantly. All three of them tried to look anywhere but the blonde figure at the back of the room and they all took their seats before turning the conversation towards some party at the weekend.
Nearly everyone who entered the room had the same reaction. They all went silent at the sight of her and turned their conversations away from the hot topic of the day which was clearly about Quinn and the others' happenings during the summer. No-one made eye contact with Quinn or attempted to make conversation with her for the whole hour which she was mostly grateful for. During class, Quinn tried to make detailed notes but her mind kept wandering. She didn't want it to but lately she had been unable to control her thoughts. She wished Puck was there; he would know how to keep her focused.
She only encountered a problem at the end of the lesson. A girl who she recognized from AP Biology last year approached her carrying a small bunch of flowers. She held them out to Quinn, "I heard what happened, and these are for you."
Quinn just stared at this stranger and tried to inhale slowly through her nose and gently exhale. Who was this girl – a girl she had never spoken to – to bring me flowers?
"I don't need your flowers," she said with as much restraint as she could and she walked off. With second thought, Quinn muttered a small "thanks" as she left. In her heart she knew the girl was only trying to be nice but the whole encounter was triggering a whole lot of things she wasn't prepared for. She felt a sudden urge to leave the campus immediately and her pace quickened. As she rushed down the corridor she heard Puck calling after her so she slowed down and turned around for him because he was the only thing in her life right now that didn't make her feel like shit.
"Quinn, what's going on?" he asked when he reached her. "Why are you going so fast? Wait, Quinn, why are you crying?" Puck looked at her with concern in his eyes and grabbed her shoulders.
She hadn't even realized she was crying until now. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. "I'm okay. I just need to get out of here."
"Oh. Well, do you want me to come with you? We could drive somewhere and hang out?"
Quinn shook her head. "No, I think I want to be by myself for now. But thanks," she said as she gave him a delicate smile.
"If you're sure?" he checked with her. She nodded and began to turn away before he called her back. "Come here," he said and he opened his arms to her. She stepped into his embrace and let her head rest on his shoulder for just a moment. The hug felt good and Quinn had to force herself to step out of the caring arms of Puck. As she did, she gave him another smile before walking away.
Once in the parking lot, Quinn jumped into her car and put it into drive. She kept to the speed limit religiously for the whole fifteen minute drive to Lima Memorial Hospital.
Quinn knew exactly which way to go when she arrived at the hospital; she was a frequent visitor now. In the elevator, she pushed the button for floor three. She traced the letters on the label next to the button; Intensive Care Unit.
One of the nurses she had come to know greeted her as she passed the nurses station and she smiled back at them. She then rounded the corner into the hospital room she had become so familiar with. Quinn looked at the small figure lying in the bed and disappointment fell upon her when she noticed that nothing had changed even though she knew she would have heard if there had been any improvement. Sitting down in the chair next to the bed, Quinn put the patient's hand in her own and stroked it, careful not to disturb any of the endless wires. "I'm back," she said. Quinn was unsure whether she was being heard or not but she always talked when she came to visit.
"So school started back today. I wish you could have been there. And I know they are going to really miss you at glee club. Just like I miss you," Quinn tried to breathe slowly like she had been taught to calm herself down. "Please wake up. I need to you wake up now. Please." By now, Quinn's tears were flowing down her face.
Through her blurring vision, Quinn looked into the face of Rachel Berry. "Please, Rachel. I won't be able to live with myself if you don't wake up."